Creative works and thoughts of Richard Burke

Tag Archives: Catholic

Years ago I learned the basics of blur motion photography. Placing the camera on a tripod and using a slow shutter speed allows you to create blurred motion on a still background. If you pan with the movement you will create another type of blur effect like this one entitled Running Deer. I have often thought of this process as creating ghosts.

While relaxing in Köln on the waterfront I decided to try to make some “ghosts” using a monopod. A lot of my attempts didn’t work. A monopod is not as good as a tripod but I still managed to capture a couple of ghosts.

This autumn we will be returning to Europe. Our last visit was during the autumn of 2016. This time we will be in Spain and Italy and I am sure we will not see any colorful fall foliage there. I remembered being disappointed in seeing little dramatic foliage during our last trip through Germany and Austria.

Looking through the files I think I was mistaken. These were taken in Köln (Cologne) Germany during that trip.

One of the things I love about traveling in different parts of the world are the variety of street performers.In Prague they have pianos scattered around the city in public places with signs that say play me. In Paris we saw a string quartet. In Germany we saw organ grinders. In San Francisco we saw someone playing the Chapman stick.

Of course guitars, fiddles and singers are common everywhere. However In Puerto Morelos I saw a new one for the first time. We were leaving when we passed this man heading towards the sqaure. Kinda of sorry I didn’t stay around to heard him play.

About a half and hour south of the Cancún Airport is the town of Puerto Morelos The town has not exploded like Cancún and Playa Del Carmen. It is still a quaint fishing village with boats for hire, street performers and quaint restaurants. There are no huge resorts but many quaint upscale condominiums and tourist hotels along a beautiful beach .

In the center of town is a community Catholic church which reflects the close relationship the people have with the sea and the fishing profession. It is small, quaint and uniquely Mexican

Last week Dale Schmitt and I opened our photo exhibition, Moments and Souls at the Percolate Gallery in Pittsburgh. I realize that many of you can not make it in to the gallery so over the next few weeks I will be publishing “the moments” that were my contribution to the show.

This one shows two boys inside Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna Austria. One is so angelic and the other well, not so much.

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The Cathedral in Cologne Germany is official known as Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus but in Germany is simply called Kölner Dom. It is one of the few buildings that was not destroyed by the Royal Air Force in World War Two. It was however damaged as the rest of Cologne was leveled. Today the cathedral is battling another enemy and quite honestly depressing to look at from the outside.

The stone has been severely damaged by acid rain.I thought this survivor needed a better look, So with a little creative editing I made it into the golden survivor of the great war, a more fitting look for Saint Peter.

My wife has always said that life happens in the small spaces. Some of our best memories are not the wedding celebrations or parties but rather a moment of being, a moment of zen. I remember a moment when I took a picture of my wife on a beach in Sarasota 45 years ago as if it was yesterday even though the picture and negatives are long gone. I look for those moments when I take photographs.

This discussion in front of a cafe in Köln Germany caught my eye. I can’t help but wonder if this is a moment they will remember 45 years from now or if it was an insignificant meeting.